Business

Sikorsky tests CH-53K helicopter for airframe structural strength

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., has successfully completed an initial series of tests required by the Naval Air Systems Command to verify the structural strength of the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter.

Conducted on a full-size non-flying airframe called the Static Test Article, the tests are part of a three-year program to validate that the largest helicopter ever designed and built by Sikorsky has the structural integrity to operate safely over its entire flight envelope — from its empty gross weight of 44,000 pounds up to its maximum gross weight of 88,000 pounds with external load.

“The Static Test Article will enable Sikorsky to replicate the many stresses, strains and aerodynamic forces the CH-53K helicopter will experience during all aspects of flight, whether the aircraft is empty, filled with cargo, or carrying up to 36,000 pounds of gear suspended beneath the aircraft by an external sling,” said Mike Torok Sikorsky’s CH-53K Program Vice President. “By placing incrementally heavier static loads on various parts of the airframe assembly — including those well beyond the airframe’s analytical design strength — we can measure structural integrity, airworthiness and crash worthiness, and verify safety margins for all expected operational conditions.”

The Static Test Article is housed in a specially-built test facility at Sikorsky’s manufacturing plant in Stratford, Conn. Consisting of the cockpit, the cabin, fuel sponsons, a transition section and the tail rotor pylon, the complete airframe assembly is suspended off the ground by the shaft of its main rotor gearbox. Surrounding support beams hold the numerous hydraulic cylinders that apply the flight and inertial loads to parts of the airframe assembly. Also attached to the STA structure are component-representative weights that simulate the presence of the engines and landing gear, among other key subsystems and components.

To date, Sikorsky has completed a total of six test conditions on the Static Test Article, all conducted during 2013 and early 2014. The first four test conditions satisfy pre-flight requirements ahead of a CH-53K flight test aircraft taking to the skies for the first time later this year. Replicating the maximum load conditions encountered while in flight, the four pre-flight tests measured the structural strength of the tail rotor pylon during high and low speed flight maneuvers, the landing gear during impact with the ground, and the full airframe structure while under maximum rotor power.

Sikorsky will continue to test the structural integrity of the CH-53K Static Test Article for another two years to validate the effects of aerodynamic forces and weight distribution on different sections of the airframe.

The Static Test Article is the first of two non-flying CH-53K test articles — along with five prototype and four production-representative heavy lift helicopters — that Sikorsky is developing as part of a $3.8 billion System Development and Demonstration contract for the U.S. Navy.

Per the current program of record, the Marine intends to order 200 CH-53K production aircraft, and to stand up eight operational squadrons and one training squadron to support the Marine Corps’ operational requirements. Eventual production quantities would be determined year-by-year over the life of the program based on funding allocations set by Congress and the U.S. Department of Defense acquisition priorities.

Two Boeing 702SP (small platform) satellites, the first all-electric propulsion satellites to launch, have sent initial signals from space, marking the first step toward ABS, based in Bermuda, and Eutelsat, based in Paris, being able to provide enhanced communication services to their customers. Whatís more, the satellites were launched as a conjoined stack on a...

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. and SENER, a leading Spanish engineering company, announced March 2 that they have signed a teaming agreement that promotes the use of the multi-mission Predator B® RPA to support Spain’s airborne surveillance and reconnaissance requirements. GAASI is a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft systems, radars, and electro-optic and relate...

Raytheon has delivered a second Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite instrument to support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Joint Polar Satellite System mission. The second VIIRS unit will fly ab...

Airbus says its net profit soared 59 percent last year as a record-high number of jet deliveries helped offset a 551 million euros end-of-year charge against its delayed A400M military transporter program. The European jet maker said Feb. 27 it made a 2.34-billion-euros ($2.62 billion) net profit in 2014, up from 1.47 billion euros in...

The Royal Australian Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin Australia a contract to supply a modern C-130J-30 Virtual Maintenance Trainer and a Multi-Function Training Aid to support maintenance and aircrew training at RAAF Base Richmond. Through this major upgrade, the RAAF will have a standardized curriculum tailored for its operations and based on decades of...

Information

Publisher

Aerotech News and Review is published every Friday serving the aerospace and defense industry of Southern California, Nevada and Arizona. News and ad copy deadline is noon on the Tuesday prior to publication. The publisher assumes no responsibility for error in ads other than space used.

Disclaimer

The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, or Aerotech News and Review, Inc., of the products or services advertised.